Of Liars and Gum
by Pocket Candy
Summary: Lila and Arnie are struggling with being themselves. One is bland and hiding behind a perfect mask while the other pretends to be bland to please others. But both know they want to be truly loved for who they are, not what they pretend to be. And that's a start, for them at least. ArniexLila


A man sat in a wooden rocking chair craving away at a bar of soap. The shape of the soap was unknown at the moment, but like the rest of figurines lining the shelves of the wooden home, it was bound to be another dog.

Standing near the other figurines with a broom in one hand sweeping away the soap cravings littering the floor was a woman. Her eyes were on the floor but her words were blasting at the man in the chair. The man remained emotionless throughout the whole thing.

"Why can't you show me the emotions you used to have? Why are you so passionless about everything, especially me? Is it the boy? I can't change what I already did, Al."

The man snorted harshly at the comment, but never stop his craving, "Could of aborted the little mistake."

The woman glances up at the comment. Her eyes spoke volumes on the comment: betrayal, hatred, and guilt. The man never returns the looks the woman gave him. Only reaction she got from him was two grey blank soulless eyes. She turns her head downwards to the sweeping and let out a defeated sigh.

"I would of if I had known I would have been stuck with two heartless men."

The man snorted again.

In the next room was a boy about thirteen with an unusual head and pale blonde hair. In his hands was a packet of flavorless gum that he had his eyes glued on. He heard each word from both the man and woman he knew as his parents. Well, his mother was at least with how the conversation was going.

The woman threw the broom down onto the floor and replied with anger burning in her voice, "I would of Al. I don't want to see you so miserable, Al. You use to bring me flowers and let me ride ya trunk when we were kids-"

The man finally lifted his eyes from the craving and the woman instantly silenced herself.

"And I used to think you weren't a whore who spread her legs to any man who ask ye kindly."

"Al-"

"I pretended he was mines, Claire. I really tried to when we first started, but everyone in town knows he not mine. They are all mocking me with their smiles and 'You're a great father, Al.' I am sick of it. I was sick of it when I first exited the hospital and I am sick of it now."

"He looks plenty like you, Al. Arnie, come here and-"

At that, Al lifted himself from the chair. The craving splatted onto the floor the only thing staying in tack was the dog's face. He stormed off not looking back as his son walked into the room with his face still glued to the gum packet.

The mother didn't look down at the boy and mutter under her breath her husband's name. Arnie choose to lift his head and gaze at his mother.

She was wearing a long green dress and that flowery apron she loved so much. Said it reminded her of simpler times. The apron was a worn out, but Arnie's mother would never get rid of it. She wore her dull red hair in a bun and shared the similar football head as her son.

Her body always appeared to be tired and worn out. When he was younger Arnie assumed it was raising the family that made her tired, but after so many fights he was starting to figure it was the source. Arnie didn't know when it started to be something they didn't bother to hide to him, but one night when Arnold's family cancelled on a visit from Arnie, Arnie had heard it.

There had been yelling. Al saying he couldn't spend another day with Arnie in the house, he was tearing him apart just by seeing him. Arnie knew their appearance was different, but he assumed it was because of him sharing more on his mother's side of the family then his father's. But something must have tipped his father off.

His mother interrupted his thoughts with a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes were back to being dead and no hope. She whimpers down to the boy a simple question Arnie was expecting, "You ready to see Cousin Arnold?"

Arnie snorted.

"Oh, I am ever so happy to hear that your more attractive and likable cousin is coming to town, Arnold."

"That makes one of us."

Lila chose to remain dense to Arnold's obvious dislike towards Lila's thrill. She was used to his jealously towards Arnie.

Sometimes she felt bad for leading him on so many times in their youth, but if Lila was ever so honest with herself…She enjoyed toying with Arnold's affection. She always felt bad and her conscience always got the best of her and would pull back from her spiteful actions. She just couldn't help it sometimes.

She had honestly thought that Arnold liked her more than a friend when they had previously dated. As she looked back to it she remembered how bored and uninterested he was in her. He hadn't even bothered to make it work. It steamed her and the rejection from him had burn even more. People had felt sorry for her as soon as Arnold had dumped her and she appreciated it. But it had burned her ego a bit to be rejected by him. She wanted him to feel the same pain, just for a little bit.

Lila held back a disappointed frown at herself. The most she had done to Arnold as of recently was comment on her attraction towards his cousin, but that was an actual real attraction. He had something Arnold lacked in their dates. He had smile when he was with her. It had been tiny and unnoticed by the trained eye, but when they were alone and his lips curl and his propeller spin-.

Instantly Lila forgot her worries and her smile grew larger.

"Too bad he still interested in Helga, huh?" Arnold's word crushed all of Lila's cheer in a minute. She did not let her sudden mood change show to Arnold. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her true self exposed. She gave a tiny forced smile, but she knew she lost the battle. She was never good at hiding her true emotions when it came to jealousy.

"Yes, it's always a shame to know someone you like like, like likes another," Lila flutter her eyes and gave a wide smile, "Right, Arnold?"

Arnold turned away after that comment and started to get up, "Yeah Lila. I think I got to be going. I got to see how Gerald doing."

Lila inwardly smirked at seeing his obvious discomfort and self-pity reappearing, but pushed back her own demons. It was wrong to mess with Arnold. He was a good person, she repeated to herself.

She called his name and he turned around to face her. His face screamed to be let go, but Lila had one more comment to make before he did, "I am sorry Arnold. Did I upset you?"

Her eyes were filled with such a sympathetic expression it made Arnold pause and smile, "I am fine Lila. Don't worry about it."

He began to walk away again from the girl and Lila let him. As soon as Arnold disappeared a new presence made itself known. Lila kept herself from outwardly growling at the person who sat down.

Lila knew Helga wasn't dense to Lila's dislike of her whenever Arnie was in town. In fact, Helga was one of the few people who saw through the perfection and saw that she was as human as the rest of them. It had been a painful realization that Lila liked to block out. She never liked being exposed.

Before thoughts of the past hit her, Helga greeted her, "Hey, Miss Perfect."

"Hello, Helga," Lila greeted reminding herself to keep on her toes. She always let her emotions get the best of her and she didn't want her classmates to see Lila for what she truly was; a pathetic poor girl with nothing to offer, but fake smiles and a pretty face.

"So I see you and the football head were cozying up to one another. Both you whining about not getting the person you want because of those darn obstacles that love happens to give?" Helga mocked.

Lila let her mask fade for a split second and answer harshly back at Helga, "Oh, I would never Helga."

Helga's face transfer from openly mocking to bitterly sweet, "You know, Miss Perfect, you can let yourself feel a bit…bitchy once in a while. If it helps you can blame hormones."

Lila shot Helga a surprise look and looked around the room wildly for anyone who was watching. Rhonda's eyes were on them from afar and that was enough for Lila to choose to end their conversation. Lila dipped her head closer to Helga's and whisper harshly.

"I ever so sure I don't know what you're referring to, Helga."

Helga frowns and glanced around the room. Once she checked her surroundings, she gave Lila a gentle smile. Lila blinked in surprise giving her a questioning look back.

She mumbles softly for only Lila's ears, "You know where to go when you want to let go."

At that final statement Helga lifted her fist and slammed it onto the table. Lila jump up with surprise and watched Helga transform into her theatrical bully. It was always startling how realistic she was sometimes but Lila knew from their past 'letting it loose' sessions how much of an act it truly was.

Helga stomped away yelling for Phoebe to return to her side and away from Gerald's. Lila watched as Phoebe curtsy to Gerald and ran to Helga.

Lila declined Arnold's offer to walk her home stating that he should get ready for Arnie's visit instead. That had stopped any attempt of romance from Arnold and he had walked brokenhearted away with Gerald patting his back along the way. Lila began her walk not to her own house but to Helga's home.

Like Lila had said, she and Helga started to bond more as time went on. It had been one day after a date with Arnold that Lila had rejected Arnold for the hundredth time that Helga cornered her.

"I don't get it sometimes Miss Perfect. Why bother leading him on when the feeling is ever so not like like" Helga had asked, "Seems to me that you either secretly like like him or you really like to make him suffer. Pick one."

Lila had glared at Helga with so much anger. Lila let herself go and she blurted all her emotions in one go, "I admit it. I do lead him on, but so what? He deserves it. He didn't see the potential I had. He never bothers to even give me a chance. He just saw what I see in myself. A dull, boring girl nobody would ever be interested in. The rejection hurt and I wanted him to feel how I feel. But I am sorry for ever so bothering you and your sick obsession."

Helga had gaped at her words, but Lila hadn't stop no matter how much she wanted, "I just want someone to like me okay? I have nothing going for me and people always forget who I am and it hurts. Arnold is a reminder of it and I like to mess with his emotions just as much as he done with mine. And I admit it, I feel bad."

And then she had let herself truly be exposed by letting out a sob, "I just want someone to want me for me. I don't want to pretend, but I feel like I have to in order to keep anyone. But everyone always see in the end how dull it is being with me. I just want to be wanted."

As tears ran down Lila's cheeks, Helga had barked with laughter. Lila had watched her display. Lila's emotions were boiling. The emotions stabbed and for once she didn't feel void of emotions, instead she felt overwhelmed wanting to let it all out in one burst onto Helga. In that split second, Lila had forgotten who she was and lifted her hand.

"How dare you!"

Helga's laughter had stopped and Lila's sudden burst ended. On Helga's face was a red imprint of Lila's delicate hands. Lila had slapped Helga. Helga had lifted her hand and Lila covered herself preparing for an attack, but never met that fate. She slowly opened her eyes to see Helga stroking her own cheek.

"Ow, that going to leave a mark," Helga had commented. Then Helga had offered for Lila to come to her home for some snacks much to Lila's surprise.

Lila had agreed. When they arrived Helga requested Lila to get an ice packet from the fridge and to place it upon her sore cheek. Lila agreed and that's when Helga explained her laughter. Helga stated she convinced herself that she was another Olga. Forgetting her problems and trying to make things into this perverse perfection, but Helga had been ever so wrong.

In fact Helga had said she believed she and Lila shared more in common than her and Olga. At that Lila had laugh and said she didn't see the similarity. Helga had explained she hid her emotions and cover it with her rage, while Lila hid her rage with bittersweet happiness.

Helga concluded with a giggle, both were lying about themselves and it was coming out in cruel ways. Funny enough both were using Arnold as a way to let out their frustrations. At that Lila had giggle.

It was a painful yet happy memory of Lila and Helga's beginning of a friendship. They both talked about their problems with their classmates, their family and their love life and soon grew comfortable around one another. Lila didn't feel like she was preforming to others with Helga. Helga liked Lila without the fake smiles and Lila liked Helga when she wasn't resentful of Lila.

But both did admit they did have problems bonding with one another when it came to talking about their boys of interest. Helga couldn't see what Arnie had that Arnold didn't and Lila didn't see the greatness Arnold was to Helga. Their relationship also strained the most during the arrival of Arnie since Lila was still trying to hold back her obvious discontent with Arnie's interest with her. It did not help that most of the children pitied Lila saying that they couldn't see why Arnie picked Helga over Lila.

Lila knew why and it hurt each time causing a mixture of jealously and her ego to go plummeting down. The answer was she was just too dull for Arnie. Arnie saw that Helga was truly an interesting person. She was sweet, yet mean. She was poetic, athletic and a leader. She was everything Lila wanted to be and more and it made her so mad.

She almost turned around to head home, but she stopped herself. Lila needed to talk to Helga. Helga was her friend, a true friend unlike Rhonda. She actually listens and didn't blab the whole thing to everyone in sight. Helga knew how to keep secrets and Lila appreciated that.

As she walked up the steps to Helga's home, she forced down her jealousy. She wanted a friend not an enemy.

Author's Note: Okay so I am trying my share of Hey Arnold's fanfiction section. I always thought Arnie and Lila were interesting characters. Arnie was overly bland and so was Lila. Blandness together at last~ but on a serious note, I think Lila is truly suffering with this inner battle with herself. She always telling Arnold "no I am not interested" after each date with him and people assume she some evil overlord destroying the romance between Arnold and Helga

That I cannot get behind.

I like to think Lila being human instead. That she wants to hurt Arnold just as much as he hurt her. It's a step in the right direction but it's not being properly used. Lila keeps lying to herself that she is this perfect girl and everyone will like her. When Arnold rejected her, she realizes that Arnold saw how much of a phony she is and she hates it. This is just my personal opinion on Lila. It's going to be a Lila and Arnie based story, but maybe I can work in some Arnold and Helga.

This is all Lila's personal opinion of herself at the moment. She thinks she is bland and unlikable because she made this perfect self for others to love. I am going to give Helga and her chances to be free together.

So review, tell me if you like and if you don't. Would love someone to grammar check it for me as a beta if anyone willing. I am not good with that sadly.


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